New York New York

---

What an amazing city. Loved it from the moment we arrived. There's just something so grand about New York, standing in Times Square feels like you're in the very centre of the universe. There's just so much happening all around you it's overwhelming, in a good way. We arrived there during the day but it was nothing compared to seeing it at night. The lights were so bright it could have been day time. I had Kanye West's 'All of the Lights' stuck in my head for about three days after.
We went to the top of the Rockefeller Centre to view the city, it was absolutely breathtaking. New York seems to have a gray smokey screen covering it, which makes it seem so mysterious but just blends with the enormous skyscrapers that dominate the city landscape. Central Park was a beautiful image in the middle of all these aged buildings.
We did all of the touristy stuff of course. Ground Zero was an extremely sad place, everyone was silenced in the museum, there was nothing that you could say really. It's just a construction site at the moment, what a terrible thing for New Yorkers to experience. I felt myself tearing up a few times.
Caught the Statton Island ferry across from Manhattan and back to see the Statue of Liberty. The ferry is free, and Mat was especially glad we didn't pay to go up close as he was shocked at how small it is. I definitely think it seems like it would be bigger, Hollywood movies definitely portray it that way, but it was still good to see it. Wall Street was so busy, as I expected it to me, there's not that much to see except for the bronze bull statue. People were crowded around it taking photos, especially from the back end which was quite funny.
We went and saw Memphis on Broadway and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. The music was so emotional and powerful, but at the same time it was funky and just made me want to dance in my seat. The characters were all played so well, they were a very talented cast. The star female's voice was so incredible it gave me goosebumps! I'm so glad we saw it. Would recommend it to anyone.
The Amsterdam Tavern up the road from our hostel on Amsterdam between 103rd and 104th became our local, I met a girl at the bar who went there regularly to write stories based on what she heard around her. I thought that was such a cool idea, I'd love to give that a go. Great food, and fun staff...we were sad to leave it behind.
A definitely highlight of our stay in New York was seeing the Yankees win at the last minute against the Bluejays at the Yankee stadium. Baseball has a great atmosphere, and we had really good seats. I loved every minute of it, and couldn't help but celebrate continuously when they won, it's crazy how quickly you get into sport here. We followed the Chicago Bulls while we were here in their play offs with Miami heat. It's a shame they got knocked out, but it's definitely a game I've realised I enjoy watching. Going to try and keep up to date with the finals! Think I'll go for Dallas now that the Bulls are out 😊
All in all New York was a treat, and definitely my favourite place out of all the places we visited. It's such a classy, happening city. I'm definitely going back that's for sure. However in the meantime, hellooooo London!

---

Photos

Central Park
View of the city through the trees

Central Park
Beautiful colours